However, I think there is room for fares to go up in general without becoming unaffordable; and it’s critically important to set up a system for fares keeping pace with inflation automatically so that there doesn’t have to be a political fight every time the fares need to be raised; and there are certain routes, such as the 501, which should be “jacked up” because the people who patronize those routes can afford it and market pricing is an appropriate way to keep the other parts of the T affordable.

You say that the MBTA doesn’t need to be profitable but then you say we should raise fares… honestly, that’s almost a worse idea.

One of the key benefits of public transportation is increased opportunity for poor and disadvantaged families. How can you dig yourself out of poverty if you can’t get to a decent job? These people can’t just go buy a car and pay for parking. They’re not taking the bus because they don’t want to drive – they take the bus because it’s their only option.

You may not see a lot of these people in Brighton, but I’ve seen a lot of them around Somerville, Cambridge etc. Jacking the price up would devastate their already stretched finances.

We should be raising tolls and taxing parking lots, and subsidizing public transportation, to encourage people to use public transportation more, not making it *less* attractive via fare hikes and reduced services.

Given the huge traffic jams I see all the time on 93 and the Pike, driving must still be pretty attractive to many people working in Boston. We should examine why that is, and fix it. Driving in to work should be a last resort that you only do if you have to, and your wallet should complain the whole way there. Public transportation should be easier, faster, and cheaper.